The 'If' Game
by x.NymphadoraTonks.x
Summary: It's early October, 1981 and if Dumbledore doesn't act soon, the Potter's lives will be blown apart. Telling no-one, he uses advanced magic to create a parallell universe - Voldemort died in childhood and Harry was brought up by the Potters. He forgot that parallel universes don't stay parallel forever. He forgot that when you play the if game, things have a tendency to go wrong.
1. Prologue

**a/n- I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Hello, everyone!**

**It took massive effort for this first chapter to come about, as it took a lot of calculations, though eventually, book in hand, I made these connections.**

**Voldemort met his first downfall on October 31****st****, 1981. At this time, Harry was one year and 3 months old. James was 21 years , 6 months and 4 days old. Lily was 21 years, 8 months and 1 day old.**

**Harry was born on the 31****st**** July, 1980, when James was 20 years and and 4 months old and Lily was 20 years and 6 months old. This means that when Lily fell pregnant with Harry, she was 19 years and 9 months old, and James was 19 years and 7 months old, if Harry was born at the exact due date.**

**I know what you're thinking – obsessive freak! But, I couldn't bear to make these dates up.**

Come another war or a new democracy, Dumbledore would remain to be one of the most calm, caring headmasters that Hogwarts had ever seen. He would do anything for anyone who had made a difference, even a small one, to his life.

And that, my fellows, was precisely his problem.

You see, Dumbledore had always looked upon the case of Lily Evans and James Potter with particular interest – such interest, that one might even find it disturbing. But Dumbledore truly had their best interests at heart – he had them in his soul, his mind and in his actions.

But this came at a price. Dumbledore worried. When they were young, he worried that James would cross the line of being a typical show-off teenage boy to plain aggression.

This was partly the reason why Dumbledore had asked him to become Head Boy, even though this decision was frowned upon by many of his colleagues and supporters. He made it clear that he was sure he marauder would take the responsibility in, using it to really mature under the careful eye of the staff and Lily Evans.

And so, the end of July, 1978 loomed, and Albus Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief. James Potter had not made the power-hungry mistakes he himself had made in his youth. Lily had grown to care for him once he had lost his conceitedness. His plan was complete – the doe and the stag would have the fairy tale ending that he had dreamed they would have – or so he thought.

Even when a new war raged in 1979, the marriage of the Potters lifted everyone's spirits as they fought for their lives against Lord Voldemort. There were prophecies, of course, Dumbledore knew that, but the chance of Lily and James bearing a son at the _precise time, _it was ludicrous to even think about. Furthermore, Lily would have to fall pregnant at the age of just 19 for the calculations to work out, and Lily had always struck Albus as the kind of person to have a 5 year career and then children.

But to his horror, he was wrong.

He remembered the conversation he had had with her, when she was just a month shy of her 20th birthday.

"Dumbledore! I just couldn't _wait _to tell you."

"Oh yes?" He had said, eyes twinkling.

"James and I…we've got some news. There's a new Potter on his or her way!

"Congratulations!"

Dumbledore had felt happy. Until –

"Yeah, thanks. I'm only 2 months along, not really showing much –

But her speech broke down as the smile slid off Dumbledore's face like Stinksap.

"Lily, tell me exactly _how _far you're along. You have a due date, I presume?"

"Yes, 31st July, and these new wizarding due dates are great, they're never wrong, so…"

This followed a serious conversation resulting in Lily being lost for words, and James whimpering and moaning in pain as though mourning the loss of a safe, happy family.

Charms were placed on the house; Sirius Black was made a Secret Keeper to the Potters, despite Dumbledore's offering, and after a quick, easy labour, Harry came into the world. Dumbledore finally felt at ease, as though it would be a long time before anything happened to little Harry.

That was, until Severus Snape cornered him one afternoon in mid-July, just a step away from Harry's first birthday, and told him of Voldemort's dreadful plans to break up the happy household of the Potters.

Dumbledore was devastated.

And from then on, I trust you know the story – Harry became the Boy Who Lived, after Lily and James' death, he fought Voldemort countless times – a story worthy of filling 7 books, in fact.

But not many know that Dumbledore had a back-up plan, a kind of plan B. Albus, you see, had a habit of playing the 'if' game. The Potters were a source for many of his ponderings – what _if _Harry wasn't the subject of one of Professor Trelawney's prophecies? What _if _Harry could live a normal wizard's life?

In conclusion, before he could stop himself, Dumbledore used such advanced magic – beyond Harry's wildest dreams – to create a parallel universe, where Lily and James were safe and happy and living with Harry, bringing him up. Where Voldemort died in childhood. He rationalized it in his mind with statements such as 'if one Harry can't be happy, at least one can.'

He should've known, though. He should've known that parallel universes don't stay parallel forever. He should've known that his actions could corrupt the real universe. He should've known that when you play The If Game, things have a tendency to go wrong.

**a/n – Thanks for reading!**

**Review, rate and follow!**

** .x**


	2. The First Corruption

**a/n – Thank you for all the reviewers with all the helpful tips and compliments!**

**LunaTheIpod and MythoMagic-Champion, thanks, it means a lot to me to see REAL people appreciate my writing, not just teachers!**

**Reclusive Lynn – OK, I'll take all that on board! :D And by 'blending the dialogue' do you mean to make it flow more smoothly from the descriptive text? Hope you had a great weekend too, I had brilliant one, it was sunny (rather than the typical British weather) and I was outside all the time!**

**Note that James is a quidditch player – no war had started so he didn't feel the urge to become an auror like he was in the real universe.**

** .x**

The Parallel Universe

It was a rainy Sunday morning, and Lily and James had been planning to take Harry to the fields for a ride on his toy broomstick. The broomstick in question had been a birthday present from Sirius Black – a.k.a James' partner in crime and Harry's godfather – who had expressed wishes that Harry would be as great of a player that James had been at school.

Typically, though, it was raining – again.

"Damn this British weather!" James awoke in a mood but as he came down the stairs his son's face cleared his huff completely.

"I know, darling, but I'm afraid we're going to have to think of something else to do."

"But Harry wanted to go out today, won't he be disappointed?"

"Bit of an understatement. Unless…"

This was how they found themselves, hours later, packing a whole load of ornaments into a box. Last time they did this – Lily remembered, smiling – Harry had smashed a horrible vase given to her from her sister, Petunia. She has never cared for the thing – but she couldn't risk breaking one of her finer pieces – for example, a singing clam shell, a souvenir from their honeymoon – so she reluctantly packed them away and, with a tap of her wand, made the box fly upstairs.

"Come on then, Harry son!"

Lily turned back into the living room to see Harry racing around merrily and James cheering after him, on the sofa.

"James! Aren't you going to – you know – put your hand on his back or something?"

"Oh, he's alright, Lily, for God's sake. You worry about these things too much sometimes."

"I know but – oh, never mind." She sighed and joined him on the sofa.

Up until that moment, Harry had been whizzing around on his broomstick. Now he landed, almost perfectly, and came to an abrupt halt facing his mother.

"Me hungry now."

"Oh Harry, sweetpea, it's only ten o'clock, do you not want to wait until Sirius comes round before you eat?"

"Me hungry now."

"Oh, _OK_."

And she headed for the fridge, looking to share an exasperated look with James, but James just looked at his son proudly and said, "His language is getting on, isn't it?!"

"I _know_ James, but is _now_ really the moment?"

"I guess not."

"So," Lily continued, turning to Harry. "Do you know what you would like?"

"Fizzing Whizzbee, Fizzing Whizzbees!"

And this time, when she faced James, his expression mirrored her own.

-o-

The day continued as normal for the Potter family. Sirius came round, and he played happily with his godson for a good few hours whilst talking to James and Lily.

Harry loved playing with his _Appleby Arrows _figures, whom he supported, as his dad played for them. He was the Seeker, and Harry really enjoyed putting the _James Potter _figure next to his father, while squealing "Mini you, Mini you!"

Harry had been to one of his father's quidditch matches, and he had loved it. He cheered hard when his father grasped the Snitch, and waved it above his head. He even had his own inflatable bow and arrow so he could fire his own arrow into the air like his dad.

When he had finished chuckling at James' figure argueing with one of the Chasers, Harry retired to his favourite story – Babbitty Rabbitty and the Cackling Stump. He sat attentively while Sirius read the book ever so carefully, ever so clearly. He laughed at the pictures of Babbitty, and at Sirius' funny voice.

Harry loved his Mum and Dad. He loved Sirius too, and all of his Mum and Dad's friends. He especially loved Albus Dumbledore – he always snorted delightfully when Dumbledore's beard tickled him.

It also happened to be Halloween that day. They had planned to take Harry out that night, as well, all dressed in his pumpkin outfit – but it had poured down, and the Potters didn't think much of rain. The day had been filled enough without trick or treating.

In fact, when it was time for Harry to go to bed, he was exhausted. He fell asleep pretty much as soon as his head touched the pillow, without complaint. Lily and James were glad of this, because all though they didn't admit it to Harry, they were whacked too.

When they were walking up to bed, the silence seemed too special, too good to last, as they knew that Harry would probably wake up during the night.

"Are you OK, Lily-Petal?" said James, frowning, as his wife seemed a little out-of-sorts.

"Yeah, I just feel like I should be worrying about something, something important, but I just can't seem to work it out."

"I know what you mean. It's like when we used to pack for Hogwarts, and you feel like you've forgotten something even if you haven't."

"Well, I never got that feeling," said Lily, smiling slightly at the thought.

"Well, we all know you're perfect, Lilykins."

And they clambered into bed without another word.

Lily didn't sleep soundly though, as some thought was still niggling at the back of her head. She knew, logically, that everything was safe and well, but she still had the feeling of worry that she couldn't quite explain.

She tossed and turned for around an hour, before finally finding a comfortable position and dropping her eyelids.

-o-

A loud, harsh cry filled the night like a siren of warning – a warning of danger. Lily woke with a start and shook James awake quickly.

"Harry, Harry, what's wrong with Harry?"

She practically sprinted across the landing to Harry's room, quickly and lightly, James rubbing his eyes and rushing along after her.

They entered Harry's room, preparing for the worst, but nothing seemed to be of great concern - Harry was standing up in his cot, holding on to the bars, shaking them rapidly.

"Are you alright, son?"

Harry stopped abruptly, realising his parents were there. He looked utterly confused for a moment, before muttering, "Bad dweam, daddy. Bad dweam."

"Oh, Harry, son," James whispered, reaching over the bars of his cot and hugging him tightly, but carefully.

"Your mother and I are here, it's ok. I know that some dreams are nasty, but you've got to remember – _it's not real." _He kissed his son on the head, lovingly.

"Come on Lily, back to –Lily?"

Lily was standing at the window, looking upset and confused and – oh, a whole whelm of emotions.

"You're crying, Lilykins. Harry's fine – look, why are you crying?"

An awkward silence echoed through the room, before –

"I don't know."

They turned around, and saw that Harry had already settled back down onto his blankets and relaxed into a deep sleep.

"He's alright, everyone is, I don't understand, Lily – "

"Look, I'm fine, I'm just being silly, let's go back across to our room before it turns midnight."

And with that, they both softly padded along the landing and back in to bed.

-o-

Somewhere, elsewhere, a wizard was spinning his wand nervously in his hands. Dumbledore couldn't take his mind of the night's happenings.

You see, Dumbledore couldn't stand the thought of another him, so when he created the two worlds, he replicated all but himself and Voldemort. Some would call it a hindrance that Dumbledore had to journey almost daily from universe to universe, to avoid arousing suspicion with his absence – but he quite enjoyed it, thank you very much. But now was not the time for thinking of one's hobbies…

He wondered what had happened with Lily and James less than an hour ago. His spell work hadn't been perfect, there was bound to be some corruption between the two worlds. He wondered whether Harry had felt pain, whether he had dreamed, whether he was ill.

For tonight had been a big night, one that couldn't be ignored, not even in the grand scheme of things. It had also been terrible- horrendously terrible.

For it was the night.

The night where everything changed.

The night Tom Riddle tore apart the Potter family.


	3. Letters The Second Corruption

**A/N – Thanks to everyone for their continued support! I've decided that from now on the parallel world will be written in normal font and the main world in italics. Thanks x**

Letters

Harry had had a strong, stable childhood. He had played with his childhood friend – Neville Longbottom – whose parents Lily and James were fond of. He had laughed as he whooshed over hills and streams on his broomstick, and he had smiled at his father's pride, when, at the age of six, he made a blade of grass twist and turn in his palms.

Harry had two brothers – Josh and Adam, who were 8 – and one sister, Ellen, who was 7. He, Harry, felt obliged to look out for them, being their big brother, and knew that they looked up to him. Admittedly, though, he didn't enjoy it much when he was often given the 'setting-an-example' lecture.

Harry was surrounded by love and comfort. He knew his family loved him and the feeling was mutual. That's not to say he grew up as a spoilt, mollycoddled child, though, his parents were fair and disciplined him, and everyone that met him remarked on what a polite, caring child he was.

Unlike his cousin.

Harry had only ever met his cousin Dudley twice, and had no wish to do so ever again. He was spoilt, conceited and a bully. He had tried to show off in front of Harry, which always failed, leading to a one-sided fight with Dudley and his cousin. He had patronised Josh and Adam. He hadn't even attempted to talk to Ellen.

Both meetings had ended in absolute disaster. Lily had gone home crying, and Dudley's father, Vernon, having clashed so constantly with James, let his temper get the better of him. That is, to say the least. He shouted something that none of them could understand, said something about "freak school" and promptly stomped out of the restaurant in a definite huff.

But Harry had been looking forward to one thing all summer. And now, well, now was when it was sure to happen. Since almost three weeks before his birthday, Harry had been checking every morning for every sign of his soon-to-be-confirmed place at Hogwarts – or, to put it more simply, he listened every morning for the owls coming.

Yesterday had been the usual –letters for James, about upcoming Quidditch matches, letters from friends for Lily, and a load of mail that Harry deemed useless. But today, he just had a feeling, that today would be the day that it would eventually arrive.

So, there he was, at that moment, sitting waiting, excitement filling every corner of his body. He jumped as an owl gave a hoot and he gave a shout as he ran to see what it had brought.

Suddenly, when he came to the window, he felt a massive, immense feeling of shock. He had been awaiting this all summer, so where had the feeling come from? And, more importantly, why?

"_You're a wizard, Harry. An' a thumpin' good one mind ye, once ye've bin trained up a little."_

"_But _I _can't be a w…wizard. I'm Harry! Just Harry!"_

"_Alright then, 'just' Harry. Ever made somethin' happen, when you were angry, or scared?_

_Harry thought deeply about this for a moment. That time when his hair had grown back, the time when Dudley's jumper had shrunk…it couldn't all be a coincidence._

_Harry was surprised to see that neither his Aunt nor Uncle looked particularly shocked – just fearful._

_Then, he got it._

"_YOU KNEW? YOU KNEW ALL ALONG AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?"_

_Aunt Petunia spoke – or rather ranted – next._

"_Of course it would be you. How could it not be? My _perfect _sister being who she was – my mother and father were so…_proud _the day she got her letter – "_We have a witch in the family, isn't wonderful?" _I was the only one to see her for what she was. A FREAK! And then she met that Potter and then she had you and I always knew you'd be just as strange, such as – abnormal. And then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up, and we got landed with you."_

"_BLOWN UP? YOU TOLD ME MY PARENTS DIED IN A CAR CRASH!"_

_All attempts at any civilised conversation had now been lost. Hagrid joined in with Harry, raging at his suddenly-less-confident Aunt and Uncle._

"_LILY AND JAMES POTTER, DIE IN A CAR CRASH! IT'S AN OUTRAGE! IT'S A SCANDAL!"_

"_HE'LL NOT BE GOING! WE SWORE WHEN WE TOOK HIM IN THAT WE'D PUT A STOP TO ALL THIS RUBBISH!" screamed Uncle Vernon._

"_And some great big muggle like yourself is going to stop him, are you? He's 'ad his name down for this school ever since he wer born! He'll be going to fines' school for witchcraft an' wizardry in the world, AND he'll be under the best headmaster that Hogwarts has ever seen – Albus Dumbledore," he finished, impressively._

"_I'M NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!"_

"_NEVER INSULT ALBUS DUMBLEDORE INFRONT OF ME," he growled._

_Harry wasn't sure what happened next. One minute, Hagrid had been pointing his pink umbrella at Vernon, and the next moment, Dudley seemed to obtain a tail. Dudley screamed and squealed, and Harry and Hagrid chatted contentedly while his aunt and uncle attempted to rid Dudley of his fine new body part._

_The next morning, Harry awoke, convinced it had been a dream. Little did he know that the leaky cauldron, Ollivander's wand shop and flourish and blotts were all just under 2 hours away._

_**a/n – Going to have to stop now, I need to do some piano practice! xx**_


	4. Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley – The Third Corruption

**a/n – the story will be moving and developing a real plotline after this chapter, so keep on reading! This was originally meant to be part of the third instalment, but I didn't get time to add it on, so this will probably be short x**

The morning after Harry had received his letter, the Potter family decided that they would take a trip down to Diagon Alley to buy some of Harry's school things.

Harry had made a list, in addition to the school one, and Lily had no hesitation in telling Harry exactly how long it was.

"Ridiculous!" she said, laughing. "Harry James Potter, you are just like your father. You dream of things that will never happen, and you're spoilt too much by me!"  
Harry laughed but was quick to say "Gerroff!" when his mother turned to ruffle his hair.

Harry immediately began straightening out his hair.

"Oops," said Lily, "I forgot one thing – the vanity."

"Mu-um! You're embarrassing me!"

"In front of who, there's no-one hear but us."

Harry mumbled something incomprehensible, to which Lily laughed, ruffled his hair for a second time, and walked out the room.

Though Harry didn't dare admit it to his mother, he knew that his list was a long shot. His parents were hardly going to get him a golden sneakoscope _and _a top-of-the-range broom servicing kit, when 1) He'd just got a Nimbus 2000 for his birthday, and that had been expensive and 2) first years weren't allowed broomsticks so there really wasn't a point.

It was a miracle that the family even managed to get out the door. Harry, Josh, Adam and James had been standing with at the fireplace with their shoes on for at least half an hour before Lily and Ellen turned up.

"Where have you two been?" James sounded slightly annoyed, not to mention disbelieving.

"Ellen wanted her nails painted," Lily said, smiling. "And then I couldn't find my wand, and when I did, her nails were pretty much dry anyway."

"Women," replied James.

Harry had grown to love the trips they took down the grates to Diagon Alley. Yes, at first, floo powder wasn't so enjoyable, but once you had got the gist of the thing – tucking in your elbows and closing your mouth – it was rather like a big, concrete slide. You did get a bit sooty, but Harry didn't mind much, and on this occasion, it was a very small amount.

When the Potter family slid smoothly out of the grate in the Leaky Cauldron, James had to keep a hold of Harry to prevent him from running off.

"Hagrid, look at all the shops!"

"I know, Harry, I know. Will you get a move on and - what did you just call me?"

"I don't know dad, I didn't say anything."

"You did, Harry, you said something about Hagrid."

"But…I've never even met Hagrid."

"I know."

"Just forget it, Dad, it must've just slipped out. "

"Oh. Shall we get you your stuff then?"

Save the best till last, Lily Potter had always said, and that was how they had found themselves 2 hours later in front of Ollivander's wand shop.

"I wonder what wand I'll get, Mum."

"Maybe you'll get one that's good for charmwork, like me. Or you might get one more like you're dads."

"Or I could get something completely different."

"Indeed you could."

So Lily, Josh and Harry went inside the shop, whilst the other three waited outside, James looking in expectantly.

"I was wondering when I'd see you, Mr Potter! It seems only yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands!"

Lily smiled weakly. Ollivander scared her a little bit.

"OK, OK, let's get started!"

"Dragon Heartstring and oak! 5 inches! Rigid and supple! Give it a wave!"

Harry flourished the wand dramatically but he looked rather stupid when nothing happened.

20 minutes later, they were still there, the pile of discarded ones now so high that they were threatening to hide ollivander from view.

"How about this one? Holly and Phoenix feather – Dumbledore's himself! Well – you know what to do by now."

But Ollivander looked up and already a bright light was glowing around Harry – that wand was the wand for him.

As they walked back to the grate, Harry talked to his sister.

"Harry…" Ellen said, "How did you FEEL when you got your wand?"

"I don't know…sort of well, sort of strange, sort of sad, and curious, and…I don't know; like I was…cut off from the world, like part of another one. It was…weird."

"Did you cut your forehead on Daddy's wardrobe, again, Harry?"

"No…why?"

"There's a really faint cut on your head. It looks sort of cool…a bit like a lightning bolt."

And that was when the chaos begun.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Hi, sorry it's been ages – the writing in italics has been copied word for word from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Bloomsbury 1998 British copy.) I don't own HP! X_**

_"Excuse me," said Harry to the plump woman._

_"Hullo, dear," she said, "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."_

_She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet and a long nose._

_"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is – the thing is- I don't know how to-"_

_"Get on to the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded._

_"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."_

_"Er – OK," said Harry._

_He pushed his trolley round and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid._

_He started to walk towards it. People jostled on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that ticket box and then he'd be in trouble – leaning forwards on his trolley, he broke into a heavy run – the barrier was coming nearer and nearer – he wouldn't be able to stop – the trolley was out of control – he was a foot away – he closed his eyes, ready for the crash –_

_It didn't come…he kept on running…he opened his eyes._

_A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said '_Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock.' _Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the ticket box had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three Quarters on it. He had done it._

"Harry, hurry up!"

"Coming, Mum!"

Three Potters were rushing out the door of their house in Godric's Hollow. Lily had decided that as this was Harry's day – he was, after all, going to Hogwarts – his brothers and sisters would stay at the Sirius'. This delighted Harry, as it had been a long time since he could remember being on his own with both of his parents.

"Right, side-along apparition, son," said James, "Have you got your wand?"

"_Yes, _dad."

"OK, to Frank and Alice's we go!"

It had been decided that the Longbottoms' Citroën would attract far less attention on the A1 than the Potters' 10-seater broomstick would. Similarly, they had been warned against Side-Along-Apparition straight to King's Cross by the McKinnon's – last year, Marlene had been apparating to collect her daughter from Hogwarts when she went and shocked an innocent elderly Muggle woman who was a bit surprised when the former landed on top of her.

James was all for lightweight charms and his invisibility cloak – but Lily had argued that this was too much hassle and she hadn't seen Alice is ages anyway.

So, it was off to see Neville, and before Harry knew it he could feel himself being compressed and squeezed into what seemed like a very tight tunnel. He emerged, spluttering and panting, at a familiar modest bungalow; he gained his composure just in time for Neville to come sprinting out of the front door.

"Neville! Wait a minute – gerroff – can't breathe..."

"Sorry, Harry."

"Never mind."

"I can't wait to start, can you? Mum and Dad are really excited too. They got me an owl, for my eleventh birthday, and I called it Hufty. But then, when I ask, they won't let me take it too Hogwarts because I'm apparently to forgetful too look after it…."

The conversation continued. Harry and Neville were very much typical wizarding boys; they talked about the trials and tribulations of parents, what Hogwarts was going to be like, and the girl Harry fancied across the road.

When they climbed into the car, they knew they were going to be around an hour late. Harry was getting really stressed out.

"Mum! We'll miss the train!"

"It's OK, Harry, calm down, calm down – "

"MUM!"

"Harry, listen. Frank's going to go as fast as the car will allow him and your dad's going to do some spellwork so none of the Muggles notice. Is THAT OK?"

"Yes, Mum, I suppose so."

"Good."

After this small argument, the atmosphere was a bit awkward in the car. Harry was so like his father in nature – good-hearted, but quickly agitated at times.

However, the journey carried on, and with the skill of Mr Potter and Mr Longbottom, the families finally found themselves in a queue of about 7 others, all waiting to be granted access to platform 9 and ¾ . 'Just run through the barrier!' Harry thought indignantly, waiting, bored, next to his mother. The red haired woman, however, seemed intent on holding up the queue.

" Fred, get a move on," she said, sounding harassed.

"It's George."

"Oh whatever, you two will be the death of me one day."

"Thanks."

"Hi, Molly!" This time the voice was his mothers, who appeared to know the stressed woman.

"Hello, Lily. How are you? How's the family?"

"Fine, Fine. Seriously, though, you look a bit harassed. I can't cope with four children, let alone seven!"

"Ah well, at least only five live at home."

"You must be a saint."

"WOMEN," grumbled James' voice in Harry's ear. "Honestly, she was complaining before about how slow the Weasleys were being, and now it's her herself!"

About 15 minutes later, though, Harry and Neville just managed to get onto the Hogwarts Express. The downside of this was that he didn't get to say a proper goodbye, however, he was glad that no-one saw his Mum kissing him, or something that his mother would be bound to do.

Sitting in an otherwise isolated compartment, Harry and Neville looked out the window just in time to see their parents waving at them. Soon, though, the figures blurred and distorted as the train sped up and made it's way out of the station.


End file.
